(1) Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to refrigeration and heating systems. More particularly, the invention relates to means and methods of producing and using glycol pan chiller systems in multi-cooling compartment systems.
(2) Description of the Related Art
The use of glycol in cooling systems is known in general, but the prior art fails to teach, suggest or motivate one skilled in the art to construct the disclosed embodiments.
Several systems by KAIRAK are known in the art. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,395 “Condenser Assembly”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,092 “Food Pan Refrigeration Unit” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,687 “Pan Cooler and Method” disclose various refrigeration systems. While the known KAIRAK patents disclose various physical configurations of assembling cooling systems the KAIRAK patents fail to address the shortfalls in the art. The KAIRAK compressor and pump are almost always in operation. The KAIRAK system contemplates a traditional single food compartment system.
The known relevant published patent applications teach means and methods of protecting food held in a chiller and blowing cold air over food. Such published patent applications include 20090013707 Air blanketed food preparation table; 20060230948 Food Protector Apparatus that Attaches to a Drop-In Food pan and method and 20060201177 Air Blanketed Food Preparation Table. Thus, the trend in the art is to focus upon the protection of food in a chiller, blowing cold air directly upon food and to remain satisfied with the chilling methods of the prior art.
There are many shortfalls in the prior art. For example, the chillers of the prior art typically use 20 year old technology and fail to artfully integrate the use of both glycol and Freon systems. Chillers in the prior art fail to efficiently and economically cool chill pans and related assemblies. For example, chillers of the prior art often use non removable foam material to encase Freon lines wrapping a chiller. When a Freon line leaks, the unit is not economically repairable. The prior art is prone to condensation problems as well. The prior art is prone to blow cold air directly upon food, causing condensation problems and problems with drying out food. The prior art also fails to leverage chilled fluid, such as glycol to cool multiple compartments.